Tango It Up!
by catfishii
Summary: Gary decides, on a whim, to shake things up a notch. What is this madness? Full of joyous oddity, obscure references, and obvious passes! Pairings and warnings, well, if you think of them, they exist. Review - don't be shy!
1. Desperation

**A/N: I'm writing for **_**Shake It Up! **_**Why am I writing for **_**Shake It Up!**_**?****My friend didn't believe me when I told her, so why would I tell you? I did pretty well for a day's worth of writing, I think. **

**I can't afford the lawsuit. SO, I don't own any of the characters. They belong to their respective owners. Arigato.**

* * *

Cece and Rocky were freaking out; in the last Shake It Up Chicago meeting, Gary had chosen to…shake it up a notch.

* * *

"_I've decided," Gary announced with his usual pomp and narcissism, "that we've been doing too much hip hop and street dancing."_

"WHAT?" _Outrages cries pelted him from every direction._

"_Yeah," Gary agreed obliviously. "So, I've decided that we should change our styles. Do a little old-school. Just for the week, neh?"_

_More noises of outrage. Cece turned to Rocky with a funny gleam in her eye. "Guess what!" she smirked at her best friend._

"_What?" Rocky guessed a little warily._

"_I think ol' Gar is in L-O-V-E!" Cece held up a little heart made from her fingers._

"_No way!" Rocky gasped._

"_Yes way!" Cece continued. "Why _else _would he have us change dance styles so suddenly? I mean, forget that we have no idea how to—"_

"TANGO?" _the rest of the dancers yelled out in synced shock. Rocky and Cece looked at each other in alarm._

"_Tango?" they repeated fearfully._

* * *

Rocky moaned. "What're we going to do?" She buried her face in her hands and sat down on the bench in the middle of the hallway at their school. Cece joined her and patted her back sympathetically.

"It's okay," she soothed pep-fully, "I'll come up with _something." I hope, _she neglected to add.

Rocky snorted pessimistically. "Yeah, sure," she said darkly. "We don't even _know _anyone who can _waltz_, let alone _tango." _They watched glumly as Gunther and Tinka sambaed past.

"I don't know," Cece remarked, "Gunther and Tinka seem to be doing okay—we should ask them!" She started to get up in order to pursue her latest target, and Rocky pulled her back down.

"What makes you think they'll help us?" she asked Cece. "Remember, Gary told everyone at Shake It Up Chicago that tango was a couples' thing—as in a guy and girl thing," she clarified at Cece's defiant face. "Look, I know that we did that Dance-a-thon together, but that was different. This time, it really _is _a couples' thing."

"Oh…" They fell into another dejected silence. Cece perked up.

"What about—" Rocky cut her off.

"No. That won't work either."

"Then what about Ty? He spends so much time flirting with girls and stuff; he's bound to learn _something."_

Rocky's face brightened at the mention of her big brother. "Yeah! I bet if we bribe him with that picture, he'll _totally _teach us!" The two girls high-fived just as the school bell rand, and they departed for class with smiles on their faces.

* * *

After school, they cornered Ty fooling around on the steps of their apartment building.

"Ty!" Rocky shouted.

"What?" Ty shouted back. Flynn and his overly-educated playmate, Henry, popped their heads out of Cece's apartment window.

"Keep it down! We're trying to tell a scary story!" Flynn yelled.

"Please," Henry added, still unused to his friend's abject rudeness. "Thank you." The two boys disappeared from the window. Ty jumped down from the steps that led up to the entrance so that he was level with Cece and Rocky.

"So what can I do for you two girls?" he asked suavely.

"Teach us how to tango," Rocky demanded.

"Or else…?" Ty wasn't taking them seriously.

"Or else that picture of you making out with a lamp gets all around the school," Rocky said with a straight face. Ty was paying attention now.

"Wha—huh—wai—How'd you get a picture of that?" he spluttered angrily.

"So you'll teach us?" Cece asked sweetly.

Ty grumbled. "Fine."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the three teenagers stood in Millennium Park. Ty put his portable boom box down in the grass.

"Ok, first things first…" Ty looked at the girls. "You need a partner." Cece grabbed Rocky. "No," Ty said slowly, "A _partner."_

"Ohhhhh!" Cece let go of Rocky and cast around the park. "Hey!" she shouted. "Hey you! In the red shirt!" The guy she was shouting at turned around and motioned towards himself. "Yeah! You!" He moved cautiously closer to the shouting redhead.

"What do you want?" he asked cautiously. He was a good-looking guy, with shaggy, dark-red hair and eyebrows that hiked upwards, giving him a permanently surprised look. Rocky suppressed a snort and a snide comment.

"You to be my tango partner," Cece said sweetly.

"And if I don't?" Still cautious.

"Then I'll have to destroy your reputation with this entire park in one fell swoop." Still sweet.

"You can't do that." Nervous.

"My mom's a police officer."

"…The name's Famous. Joseph Famous." He stuck out his hand. Cece took it and pulled him in.

"Let's tango," she rasped dramatically. Rocky and Ty face-palmed at their friend's antics.

"Cece…Cece, that's not how you tango. The _guy _leads," Ty pointed out. He guided their hands into the right positions. Then he looked at Rocky. She pulled a face.

"Ew, no! There's _no way _I'm dancing with you like that!" She looked around the park, looking for a guy who wasn't too disgusting. "HEY! HEY YOU!" she yelled at an older looking guy. She motioned frantically for him to come over. When he came within arms' reach, she grabbed him. "Be my tango partner," she begged. The guy shot a bewildered look at Joseph.

"Just do it, man!" Joseph hissed. "Her mom's a cop!" He jerked his head at Cece, narrowly missing a bopped forehead. Alarmed, the guy introduced himself.

"I'm Tayler."

"Rocky Blue, nice to meetcha!" Ty positioned them in the same way he did Joseph and Cece.

"Wait, what about you?" Rocky asked him curiously. "Unless…you dance alone?" she asked slyly.

"What? No! Be right back!" He jogged off into the crowd. A few minutes later, he came back, dragging a rather irate Deuce by the hand.

Cece raised an eyebrow. "Deuce isn't exactly a girl."

Ty smiled blithely. "He's Latino, afraid of mice and scary movies, and listens to Katy Perry—for the music." Deuce was shooting daggers into his back. "I'd say he can tango and can pass for a girl."

Cece exchanged a look with Rocky. "Eh," Rocky shrugged, "we're desperate. Hit it!" she shouted, turning back to her partner.

Ty kicked the boom box on, wrapped an arm around Deuce's waist securely, and with a "follow what I do, if you can," started moving. Deuce, as if the music had taken over his soul, moved in a way that shouldn't be possible for someone wearing skinny jeans, much less a _guy_.

Cece, Rocky, and their partners gaped at the pair.

"Ffu—is that even remotely _possible?" _Joseph blurted as Deuce's leg, in a moment of a very passionate trumpet blast became perpendicular to the ground.

"_JESUS CHRIST!" _Tayler screeched. "_Tell me they're straight!" _

Rocky covered her eyes. "I don't know. I don't know anymore! I don't know _anything anymore!" _she wailed as her big brother dipped Deuce so low, it was a surprise they didn't hit the floor. Grass. Dirt.

Splutter splutter. Flail flail. Censored profanities. Brain fart. Flat line.

"WAIT!" Cece shouted amid the mass confusion of the four teenagers. "Aren't we supposed to be following their steps?" She and Joseph exchanged a frightened look. Joseph tightened his arm around Cece's waist.

"What'm I supposed to do?" he asked, alarm bells ringing in his mind. They were starting to draw a crowd.

"Just get lost in the music," Cece commanded. She closed her eyes, put on a dazzling smile, and spun outward, jewelry flying.

So they did.

Rocky and Tayler looked at each other. He smiled daringly. "What she said," he said courteously. He took a step backwards, and Rocky stopped thinking.

* * *

They didn't stop dancing until the CD ran out. When they did, what just happened hit them like the thunderous applause that echoed around the park.

Six breaths exhaled in unison. "_Whoa…" _they all breathed, illuminated only by the streetlights and their rosy cheeks.

"That was _amazing!" _Rocky breathed out.

"You never told me you could dance like that!" Ty said to Deuce accusingly.

"_I _didn't know I could dance like that!" Deuce shot back, embarrassed. Cece disentangled herself from Joseph and bounded to Rocky.

"Let's do it again!" she enthused, waltzing Rocky away from her partner. "This'll be _great _for _Shake It Up Chicago!"_

Joseph and Tayler were huddled over a scrap of paper, scribbling furiously. Deuce was going around the crowd with a hat. The crowd, when they weren't applauding, dropped change into the hat. Tayler shoved the paper into Rocky's hand and walked away with Joseph.

Rocky opened the paper and flushed.

"What? What? What does it say?" Cece asked impatiently. She snatched the piece of paper away from her friend.

_If you ever need a dance partner again, call me: (XXX)XXXXXXX (Tayler Mark Gailey) ;)_

_Hey Cinderella, if you promise not to turn me in for dancing with you, we can do it again: YYY-YYY-YYYY (Joseph Famous)_

Cece cooed. "Awww…they're so cute! And now," she said, spinning in ice-skater-esque circles, "we have dancing partners!"

Ty put his arms around the two girls in a brief, one-armed hug. "Yep," he said, smiling cheekily. "And, might I add that you two have absolutely no need of me anymore?"

Rocky gaped at him. "_What? _Why?"

"You two are born dancers—you can dance to anything if it's got a beat—any style," he explained. "Remember that STOMP-type thing we did a couple weeks back?"

"Oh yeah," Cece recalled. "That was fun, before Flynn 'called the cops.'"

"He never actually did, did he?" mused Rocky. "He just wanted my sandwich. Monster."

"Ok," Deuce huffed, rubbing his hands together. "Let's get outta here. I just conned the crowd out of about fifty bucks' worth of change."

"You're gonna split that with us, right?" Rocky asked dangerously. Deuce let out a nervous laugh.

"As long as you don't mention any of this to _anyone, _yes."

"Deal," Cece butted in.

"And me!" Ty butted in with his boom box in hand. Deuce sighed, watching his fifty bucks swirl away.

Rocky sighed with him. "Now, we need the costumes," she said forlornly. Deuce perked up.

"Hey! I know someone who can help with that!"

Cece and Rocky exchanged another look.

"Fine," Cece conceded. "We're desperate, after all."

**

* * *

**

A/N: If you review, I will love you and smother you with kisses and cookies. And, there will be more oddity from me (friend's words—not mine).


	2. Sparkly Dresses

**So plainly, I enjoy making passes at a certain character(s) and messing with ages. Oh well. If I can't torture Syaoran, it might as well be someone else! –chuckles evilly- **

**Oh, and if my friend is reading this, let it be known that she has been a great help in writing this. After all, I don't dance, but she does! –claps enthusiastically- Oh, and the only reason there are monster paragraphs on the teeniest details on the dresses are because of her, too. BLAME HER, NOT THE POOR AUTHOR.**

**All characters belong either to Disney, or their respective creators, my friend among them. The only one I actually own is Alyx Mischenka, who goes in disguise under many names, pseudonyms, and characterizations. Curses befall teeny-tiny casts.**

**If you get the reference, drop a line and tell me. And in case I was being too subtle, that means REVIEW.**

* * *

The next morning met Rocky, Cece, Ty, and Deuce standing outside Deuce's contact's aunt's friend's dress store. Deuce gestured proudly to the large sign hanging in the shop window. "They create custom items, either from scratch, or from one of their dresses. Except, it's cheaper the second way," he confided.

Ty snickered into the palm of his hand. "Yeah, _you _would know," he insinuated with a smirk. Deuce looked murderously at him.

"Shut up!" he demanded.

Rocky patted his head. "It's okay Deuce, you know we love you!"

"Wha—wait! No! My sister's boyfriend's cousin's daughter had a wedding and my sister's boyfriend's cousin asked my sister to go with her and her daughter to pick out the dress as a friend, but my sister couldn't make it, so she paid me twenty bucks to take her place," Deuce claimed.

Cece patted his head as well. "Sure, sure…" she said absently, eyes sparkling at the racks that could be seen peeking out behind the large sign. "We should go try dresses!"

The party of teenagers walked into the store and a bell chimed merrily overhead. An African-American girl looked up from the book she was reading on the counter and smiled. Two others, an auburn-haired girl who was holding a measuring tape and a tall brunette appeared from behind a couple dress racks.

"Hello!" the girl behind the counter—her nametag read "Kendra"—called. She turned back to her book. "Those two"—motioning vaguely to the two other girls—"will help you."

The shorter of the two—Lilah—grabbed Cece's hands and gave her a dazzling smile. The taller one—Amanda—gestured to Rocky.

"So what're you looking for today?" Lilah asked merrily, pastel green floral dress swirling in her wake.

"Tango dresses!" chorused the girls, striking flamenco poses. Ty and Deuce shot disbelieving looks in their direction. Lilah giggled, and Amanda rolled her eyes and cast an appraising glance at her picked charge.

"I have the _perfect _dress for you!" she gushed. She pulled Rocky over to a rack of red dresses, all various sizes, shapes and shades.

Lilah grabbed Cece's wrist. "Come on! We can't let them beat us!" she laughed.

Cece laughed and ran with her.

Deuce and Ty leaned against the counter where Kendra sat, reading.

"So…" Deuce started. "What book are you reading."

Kendra colored a little. "_Les Miserables."_

Ty snickered. "That sounds like a _tres miserable _book," he joked lamely. Kendra rolled her eyes at him. Overhead, the store bell tinkled.

"Helloooooooo!" a _very _familiar accented voice called out. Two blonde figures strutted in.

"Hmph. Look who walked in all sparkly like a vampire," Ty sniffed contemptuously and a tad derisively. Behind him, Deuce covered his laugh with a hacking cough. Kendra patted him on the back sympathetically.

Tinka ignored his comment and went straight to Kendra. "Ve are here to pick up our tango-wear," she said haughtily. Kendra turned to hide her smile at the Hessenheffers' ridiculousness. "Daniela!" she yelled to the back room. "Bring those outfits out!" A crash answered her shouting.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" A very hard-rock-looking girl with razor straight hair and blonde highlights came out of the back room, carrying on a hanger at arm's length a flowy, knee-length tangerine-orange dress with many embellishments around the neck, and a good solid inch of the two tiers was devoted solely to glitter. The halter-strap, too, was encrusted with sparkles. A large glittery "T" was bedazzled onto the bottom tier. On the hanger, there was a corsage of orange lilies and a matching hairpiece. She gave that to Tinka, only to disappear back into the back room and come out a second time carrying a different costume.

"Ooh!" Gunther exclaimed excitedly, "These vill go great with my orange and black high-tops!" This time, it was a matching orange shirt with sparkling star and bubble embellishment, plus a big, glittery "G" on the sleeve. Underneath the neatly folded shirt was a pair of simple black slacks, and on top, a typical black hat with a rhinestone encrusted orange band running the width of it and a—

"Fish bracelet?" Ty asked Daniela with a laugh. Daniela blushed.

"Wasn't my idea," she muttered, handing off the clothes to Gunther. She fled back into the back room, red-tipped hair flying and leather boots clicking. Gunther and Tinka sniffed and shifted in a creepily synchronized manner and Gunther pulled out his wallet to pay for the clothes. Kendra tapped Deuce on the shoulder.

"You _might _want to get out of the way," she suggested with a small smile. Deuce and Ty moved to the side and watched as Kendra made the transaction and waved the Hessenheffers goodbye.

Two more customers came and went (one left without buying) and then Rocky appeared, dressed in a frilly, tiered red dress. Ty whistled at his little sister.

"Wow…if you weren't related to me, I'd _totally _hit on you!" Ty said salaciously. Rocky raised an eyebrow.

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?"

"Yes."

Amanda walked out, with a simple red dress over her arm, which she quickly placed on a random rack. "I'm going to _explain _this dress to you guys, okay?" she said slowly.

"Umm..okay? We understand English, you know," Deuce said indignantly.

"Yeah, okay, but do you understand _Girl-English?" _she asked.

"I don't know what that is, but, okay, yeah," Deuce agreed. Ty cracked up. "What're _you _laughing at?" Deuce asked him, completely oblivious to what he just admitted. Ty just held his side and waved as nonchalantly as he could at Deuce.

Shrugging, Deuce turned back to Amanda.

"Okay," she said, her manner immediately professionalizing, "here, we have Rocky Blue, modeling in a beautiful dress by our skilled designer Alyx Mischenka." Rocky struck a pose, wobbling dangerously on a pair of borrowed yellow heels that weren't the best for dancing. "It has a square neckline with yellow ruffled tulle edges on all tiers and sleeve ends. On the bodice, with cuts off at an empire waist, there is relatively little detail, and is completely a pleated ruby pattern, which extends into the first tier created by the empire waist—the yellow string in a bow," she added for Ty's benefit. Deuce, remarkably enough, seemed to understand most of this.

"In the skirt, the layers are of alternating colors of ruby and crimson silk, pleated and slashed to show peeks of light mahogany silk. Although the first two tiers were left intact, the last four were slit up the thigh to allow for easiness of movement when dancing. The slit itself is hidden and has been edged with yellow tulle." She moved the layers of fabric aside to show the yellow ruffle.

"As for the hair, we suggest a high bun with small wispies on the sides, just as Miss Blue has here, and an accessory of this beautiful Marigold bunch"—she motioned to the cluster of flowers behind Rocky's ear. It had two curling yellow ribbons floating down—"and strappy yellow heels, similar to what Miss Blue has on now." Amanda finished with a flourish in the general foot area. Rocky did a little curtsy and flounced back to the fitting room. "Please keep in mind that most materials are from polyester over spandex, and therefore machine washable!" she noted at top speed.

Amanda took a bow and disappeared into Rocky's fitting room. A couple seconds later, Lilah popped out. She made a grand sweeping gesture and said in a ringmaster's voice, "Introduciiing, Cece Joooones!"

Ever the performer, Cece stepped out amid enthusiastic applause from the small peanut gallery, her hair up in a high ponytail and side bangs. "From the cold, dark north, I give you the fiery Phoenix, raised again from the ashes to dance again underneath the blue skies of Chicago!" Lilah continued. "In her human form, she is clothed in only the most delicate silk by our most skilled tailor—Daniela Hines!" A crash was heard from the back room, followed by a curse that would make a sailor blush. "The bodice, a tribute to her former self, reveals an embellished phoenix, rising from the fire into a cold grey background in the true Chinese fashion." Indeed, the bodice covered Cece from neck to hip, leaving only her arms and the top half of her neck bare. The embroidered blue phoenix, with the blood-red rhinestone eye, rising from the blue fire, wasn't visible at first, until Lilah pointed it out. Subtle.

"The fire continues down into her skirt, which emulates the flow of the everlasting flames, until it is wholly consumed by fire. Only the permanent ice"—she gestured to the icy blue rose, the flats Cece wore and the ruffle on the skirt—"only the ice keeps the Phoenix from true freedom. It ensnares her, until the day when her true love comes to set her free into the Northern Lights!" Lilah's green eyes had fired up. Passion colored the fair-skinned auburn's face a flushed red that rivaled Cece's hair in color.

Cece, who decided that this had gone too far, pulled Lilah backwards into the changing room. "We'll be out in a minute," she called.

"Please remember that all materials were made from spandex and polyester!" called Lilah from within the depths of the changing room.

"Yeah, yeah, just help me get out of this!" Cece demanded.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the group was seated outside their favorite café, sipping lattes (Cece, Ty and Deuce) and green tea (Rocky). The dresses and their accessories hung on the back of Rocky's chair and Ty and Deuce were staring disbelievingly at the receipt. No, well, they weren't staring at the price tag—Rocky and Cece paid for their own dresses—but at the hastily scribbled notes at the bottom:

_If you're interested, call me: WWW-WWW-WWWW (Kendra Abernathy)_

_ZZZZZZZZZ (Daniela Marie Hines XOXO)_

Deuce and Ty shared a grin. "_Niiiice," _they said, nodding at the same time. Cece and Rocky rolled their eyes. Rocky took out a list.

"Okay, so we have the dresses, we have the style, but now we _have _to get music, and we _have _to get a routine down," Rocky murmured, cooling green tea left untouched. Cece tipped her chair back and collided with a handsome tall blonde.

"Oof!" he exhaled when the chair smacked him in the gut. Cece set her chair upright and turned around, concern sparkling in her eyes.

"Omigod! Are you okay?" she gasped, eyes wide. He was doubled over, trying, with limited success, to reregulate his breathing.

"Yeah, hey Jeremy, are you okay?" A familiar freckly redhead materialized next to the tall blonde and started to pat his back.

"Ronald Weasley!" Rocky shouted, pointing.

"Joseph!" Cece exclaimed.

"Joseph Weasley?" the boys chorused, off-guard.

"No! Joseph Famous!" Cece clarified. "The guy I danced with yesterday!"

"What kind of messed-up last name is 'Famous'?" Ty asked.

"_My _last name," Joseph bristled.

"Your parents shoulda named you 'Iam'," Cece conceded, crossing her arms. "Much cooler."

"You mean like the dog food brand?" Deuce asked, amused.

"Hell-oo! Choking blonde giant here!" Rocky motioned towards Jeremy.

"Ah, he'll be _fine!" _Cece said dismissively. She was right; Jeremy had stopped choking, but he wasn't exactly breathing normally quite yet. Joseph bristled again.

"Hey! If you're not going to at least _apologize _to my friend, you can forget about me as a dance partner for your show!" he barked angrily.

"Oh, right. I'm so so so sooooo sorry!" Cece apologized. "Here, have some tea!" She grabbed Rocky's tea and shoved it into Jeremy's hands.

"Hey!" shouted an indignant Rocky. "Wait, IDEA!" she trilled. "Do you know any good music? You can keep the green tea as an exchange, by the way."

Jeremy huffed and sipped the green tea. He pulled a face. "Yech, what is this stuff?"

"Pure green tea," Rocky chirped innocently. "But, do you know any good tango music?" In the background, Ty let out an indignant squawk.

"What! My music not good enough for you?" he asked.

"No, not really," Cece stated bluntly with an innocently thoughtful look on her face. "We need something less _raw, _and more _refined." _Deuce patted Ty's back sympathetically and gave him the rest of his latte as a consolation prize.

Jeremy gave the tea to Joseph, who downed the entire cup in a gulp. Jeremy and Cece blinked at the surprise.

"What?" Joseph asked unrepentantly, "It's better than your sister's ginger tea!"

"Hey! Don't rag on her tea!" Jeremy shot back. "It's better than your mom's chicken soup!"

"Do you know any bloody good tango music or not!" Rocky half-screeched, breaking apart the budding argument.

"No! But I know someone who does," Jeremy unintentionally spat at her.

"Well, good!" Rocky said huffily. "The testosterone and family-complexes were starting to stink up the air." She stood up and moved towards the door. When no one moved to follow her, she turned, eyes flashing and asked, "Are we leaving or not?"

"Yes, we are," Cece said daringly, getting up from her chair. She reached over and plucked the two dresses from the back of Rocky's (now vacated) chair and sashayed to her best friend. She was closely followed by Ty, who was grumbling about coming only to see if this person really _did _have better music than he did, and Deuce, who was just there. Jeremy looked at Joseph, who shrugged.

"Your call, man," he said carelessly. "Don't drag me back there again."

Jeremy sighed. He got up and went to the front of the pack of teenagers and led them out of the café as Joseph approached the baristas to purchase another drink._ This had better be worth my time, _he thought.

**

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**

Oooh! Cliffie! And I'll leave it like that, too, if you don't review!


	3. Musical Messes

**Ages are screwy and so are copyrights.**

* * *

"…and so Katelyn's boyfriend breaks up with her, yeah? And she's lAnd so I get out my shotgun and…"

Cece groaned. "Is he _ever _going to stop talking about his _sister?" _she whispered to Rocky as they walked behind Jeremy. Ty and Deuce trailed behind, with their hands shoved deep in their pockets, sharing the ear buds to Ty's iPhone, which was blasting Addicted to Bass 2010-Mega Mix by Ministry of Sound at full volume to drown out Jeremy's praises to his sister.

Rocky leaned over to whisper to Cece underneath Jeremy's worship. "No-pe," she whispered, popping the p. Cece groaned and leaned on Rocky in dismay. Rocky pushed her off good-naturedly. "Oh please. We're almost there, aren't we?"

"Why does he _own _a shotgun anyway? The closest things to wildlife to shoot are the squirrels in Millenium Park, and _they're _all away for the winter."

"…there's the place that Hayley works," Jeremy concluded, standing underneath the dingy overhang of what looked like an abandoned warehouse. Cece sighed in relief and looked at the doors with apprehension.

"This?" she asked, doubtfully. "He works _here? _It's a _rat's nest. _If you're playing us, my mom is a cop._"_

"She," he corrected, "and you've told me, remember? It looks a lot better on the inside, trust me." He pushed open the door, and the four teens filed in one after the other into the dark entrance.

When Jeremy stepped in, the door swung shut and they were plunged into darkness that, just as quickly, lit up with gently throbbing multi-colored lights, leading the way to a set of double doors. The five teens filed silently along the dim hallway. Before they reached the double doors, they swung open, revealing a hooded boy with sunglasses over his eyes. His arms were out and up, holding open both doors, and his silhouette resembled a teenage dark angel. Although his gaze rested somewhere above Ty's left shoulder, an eyebrow crooked up over his shades. "The club's not open until six, but you're late if you're here for the Mixing sesh," he told them. Jeremy shook his head.

"Torrey, they're here to see Hayley."

The other eyebrow shot up to join the other one. "What for?" he asked warily. He shifted so that he was leaning against the doorframe and let one door swing shut with a small swish. "She hasn't done anything bad or crazy or anything, has she?" He looked into the room behind him. It looked nothing like an all-age dance club. The large room, which had circular booths surrounding the polished dance floor, was lit only a little brighter than the hallway and had forty or so people tapping away at laptops and electronics or musical equipment or scribbling things or sketching or a mixture of things. There was a lively buzz in the air, with the occasional scuffle breaking out, followed by good-natured egging-ons and shouts of laughter. Bags of chips or cookies were littered everywhere—on top of papers, closed laptops, next to thermoses of who-knows-what, on the floor, on top of instruments. Semi-quiet music played out from several different places.

Rocky shrugged. Jeremy shook his head.

"Naw. Hayley is fine. They need music," he said nonchalantly, jerking his thumb at the four others behind him. Torrey nodded understandingly. He stepped aside to let them in. When Jeremy turned to leave, Torrey's eyebrows shot up again. "Leaving?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah. My job is done." Jeremy shrugged. "Unless you want me to stick around and talk about how Katelyn…"

Torrey pushed him out. "No thanks," he said hurriedly. Then he beckoned to the four standing awkwardly among the techies. "Follow me," he ordered them. He led them through a deer trail in the papers and empty chip bags scattered on the ground. The papers were covered in a variety of scribbles and stains that looked suspiciously like Nutella or jelly.

Ty stepped on the edge of a cheese and Nutella sandwich. "Ewwuegh!" he squealed effeminately. "These shoes are _new!" _

"That was my _lunch!" _an Asian boy wailed from next to a table laden with graph paper. The boy next to him put an arm around his shoulders and shoved his own half-finished sandwich into the boy's mouth.

"It's okay," he said, cheerfully pounding his friend on the back as the boy spluttered, "you can have mine!"

Rocky pulled a face, and Cece nudged her. "Oh please, it's not like we've never done that."

"…right."

Torrey and the group finally reached Hayley, who had made herself a sort of multilevel workstation in a corner in the back of the warehouse. She barely looked up when Torrey started talking; concentrating instead on the pulsing Spanish tune that was playing out on the laptop in front of her and a half-finished sketch of a girl in an elaborate dress. Behind Torrey, Cece and Rocky grooved to the beat a bit and Deuce nodded along.

"Hayley!" Torrey shouted over the whining of the violin solo. "I have customers for you!"

That finally grabbed her attention. She swiped her finger across a bar at the top of the keyboard and the music quieted. She looked up through her white-streaked bangs.

"What?" she asked. She took a sip from the Starbucks cup to her right and set it carefully down on top of a stack of binders.

Torrey motioned to the four teens behind him. "These guys need new music for something. I couldn't care enough to ask…"

Hayley sighed. "Will you take off those sunglasses and that hood? You look like a mugger."

Torrey clutched at his hood protectively in response. "Will you stop wearing shirts with severed animals on them? Chris thinks it's inhumane."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. You win this time. But I _will _make you walk around Chicago one day without a hood."

Torrey smiled wryly. "Sure you will." He walked away, hand raised in a casual salute.

As soon as he was a good distance away, Hayley motioned the four left to take a seat anywhere they could find one. Once they were all relatively settled, Hayley saved the piece playing softly in the background and closed her laptop.

"So, what can I do for you guys today?" she asked, dimples showing up with her smile.

"We need tango music," Rocky stated simply. Cece nodded.

"We're just here for the fun," Ty shrugged, nudging Deuce with his foot.

"…Oookay then," Hayley said slowly. "Umm, I have some things that would be pretty good for tangoing…like how about this one?" She opened her laptop and pulled up a file. The laptop's little speakers began to belt out an intense rhythm of blaring trumpets and vuvuzelas underplayed by a complex drumbeat which soon mellowed out into a fluting arc of electric guitar and violin. The two dancers sat, transfixed and swaying lightly to the music. The infectious melody made their bodies ache to dance, but they didn't want to knock over something important.

When the music ended, Cece sighed unhappily. "I have _soo _many ideas for this…but it's just _too long!" _she cried.

Hayley nodded sympathetically. "If you gave me a day, I'd be able to cut it and smooth it down," she suggested.

Rocky shook her head. "We need the music today."

"Well then, is there a time limit?"

"Anywhere from two to three minutes," Cece supplied. Rocky looked amazedly at her friend.

"How'd you know?" she asked incredulously. "You never pay attention to what Gary says!"

Cece shrugged modestly. "Oh please, if it has anything to do with dancing or fashion, _of course _I'm paying attention! Who wouldn't?"

Rocky rolled her eyes and turned back to Hayley. "Do you have anything under three minutes?" she asked. Hayley reached down and adjusted the tongue of her bright red Converse.

"Yeah, wait a minute," she responded absentmindedly. Two minutes later, another song was blasting out of its speakers. It featured more grace than the raw lust of the first piece and was slightly slower. High, trilling flutes soared as castanets clicked like high heels, and a Spanish guitar thrummed a romantic, soul-rending melody that made hearts tremble and flutter.

Rocky and Cece cocked their heads in consideration.

"And this one." A rollicking guitar melodic chord sang out. They group waited expectantly. Then…

A faint rattle of maracas, the crisp _ching-ching _of the tambourine. Slowly, a quartet of strings eased out a beautiful melody, which was accompanied by the guitar. An accordion took the melody, and Ty felt himself grooving to the gyrating beat. Deuce nodded along with the music.

"What about this? It's a little unusual." Synth chords and a kick drum started off a fast beat. Quiet vocal ululations wound its way around, and slowly, the sound of an electric violin was heard sliding, jumping and twirling its way into Cece's flamboyant heart. The synth morphed into a separate melody and was joined by a flute, turning the short piece into airy polyphony.

"Oh! This might work, too!" A throbbing melody made up of various instruments, but most prominently a Spanish guitar, flew out of the speakers. Rocky was transported into a ballroom of her imagination, dancing passionately with her Prince Charming to the tune of a gliding harp. A trumpet wailed, and her Charming dipped her low. Castanets clapped and Rocky spun outwards from her Prince.

There were two other pieces, both upbeat, spinning, and dizzy. However, the girls had their hearts set on their pieces. Hayley laughed at their faces. "You look like you're in love!"

"We _are!" _Cece sighed.

"It's _beautiful!" _Rocky gushed.

"Thank you?" Hayley laughed. "I didn't really spend a lot of time on it. To me, it sounds like crap."

"Then you should _totally _replace _Shake it up! Chicago_'s DJ!" Deuce crowed. "They _love _crap!"

Ty palmed his forehead at the unintentional innuendo. A few passerbys busted out laughing.

She shrugged modestly. "Are you guys going to buy them, or what? We don't have much time—it's already five o'clock, and the Boss's gonna kick us out soon."

"How much?" Cece asked eagerly. Her fingers were already palming at her purse strings.

Hayley laughed again. "Hold on. I have to make you sign a contract first that says that you'll promise that you won't redistribute, sell, or copy anything that I give to you," she trilled through her laughter as she pulled out four stacks of paper and passed them out to the four awkwardly perched youngsters. She also passed them each a writing utensil. Somehow, Deuce ended up with a bright pink pen that wrote in sparkly, hot pink ink. He tried to trade with the nearby people, but they just laughed and clutched their own pens tighter. He groaned.

"Oh, don't be a wuss," Rocky scolded. "Just fill out your contract." She was already halfway through her own stack.

"Aaargh," Cece groaned. "Too. Much. Writing." She buried her face in the unyielding paper. Hayley leaned her cheek on her fist and smiled.

"Sorry. Gotta make you fill them out. Otherwise, my morals won't let me sell."

Cece groaned in response. Hayley began organizing and packing up her binders.

Fifteen minutes later, Ty's pen was out of ink and their forms were all filled out. Hayley gave them a green USB and took their contracts. Rocky grabbed it and kissed the little rectangular prism.

"You owe me twenty for each song," Hayley demanded, demeanor automatically dropping into business mode.

"WHAT?" Deuce yelled. The nearby people looked over curiously like nosy neighbors. "THAT'S A RIPOFF!"

"And it's a ripoff worth paying for!" Cece declared, slapping the money down into Hayley's hand.

"Thank you," Hayley responded primly. She pocketed the money, jotted the transaction down in a composition notebook, and continued packing up. Ty, Deuce, Rocky, and Cece stood from their seats. After a short pause, Hayley did as well. She adjusted the strap of her messenger bag and let out a heavy breath. "Okay then. Since we're all going the same way, I'll show you guys out."

She pushed past the four waiting teens and led the way through another, slightly clearer trail through the litter that covered the floor. As she walked by, a few people glanced up and called out a goodbye. She responded with a wave.

Torrey looked up his math homework from where he was sitting next to the door. "Don't squish me," he said passively, scooting just slightly farther away from the door.

"Aye aye, _capitan," _Hayley snorted. But she was careful in opening the door. Her four followers filed through the door into the dim hallway. The lights lit up in reverse order from where they were standing all the way to where the entrance was. Ty led the way as the five of them walked through the hallway to the dingy front of the warehouse.

"Bye, Hayley!" Rocky called as they turned right and Hayley turned left.

"Bye," she called back. With a final wave of her hand, she disappeared around the corner. Rocky pulled out her list.

"Alright, so we've gotten costumes, a routine, and the music," she mused. "What else is there?"

"I don't know," Cece responded happily. "But I feel like we should practice with the music. And play with makeup."

Rocky slapped her forehead. "Of _course!" _she practically shouted in realization. "We need to time our routine to the music!"

Ty groaned. "I'm going to disappear as soon as we get home," he promised himself.

"I'll join you," Deuce hastily added. Rocky and Cece shrugged.

"Be that way then," they chorused.

"We'll just have to call our dance partners," Cece added. Ty merely rolled his eyes.

* * *

**There's a link labelled "Review" that wants to be pressed. Tell me what you think.**


	4. We've Been Had!

**A/N: Look, I don't own the characters. Neo-Disney does, and is worse with it. Happy birthday, my happy friend. This is your extra present :D Anything looking like this is on the otherside of the phone line.**

* * *

Cece and Rocky flopped onto Cece's bed. Ty and Deuce had long since disappeared with Flynn to the far-off planet that was Flynn's room. Cece sat up and dragged her laptop over to her lap from where is used to sit on the desk. She booted up the laptop and drummed her fingers impatiently on the bedspread.

Rocky stretched out on the bed, arms behind her head and kicked off her shoes—happy purple high-tops—and let them fall onto the carpeted floor of Cece's bedroom. She toyed with the little USB drive and stared thoughtfully up at the ceiling.

"Who d'you think Gary's girlfriend is?" she wondered thoughtfully, returning back to the hypothetical reason why Gary was making the _Shake It Up! Chicago_ crew dance to something entirely out of their element.

"I don't know," Cece responded, equally curious. Then she rapped the keyboard impatiently. "Hurry up, dammit!"

Rocky smacked Cece lightly across the back of her head. "Don't swear," she reprimanded primly. "Personally," she continued conversationally, "I think that she must be really special or something 'cause I've never seen Gary go this far to impress her. She's probably some über-hot Italian flamenco dancer."

"Mmh," Cece contributed, fingers tapping in her password, "But flamenco is Spanish. You should know that."

Rocky raised her eyebrow and spun the USB around on its key ring. "Did Cece just say something intelligent?" she asked with a devious grin.

Cece rolled her eyes and snatched the USB from Rocky. "Yeah, and it's not happening again anytime soon," she answered sarcastically. She inserted the drive and waited for it to boot. "He must think she's The One, or something," she added thoughtfully. The little window popped up, declaring that the USB was ready to use, and she clicked open the file labeled "Music." Rocky sat up from her reclining position and watched over Cece's shoulder.

Cece refreshed the page a few times, yet there was no visible file, or files, for that matter.

"What the…" she muttered to herself. She clicked back and tried the Documents folder. "Nothing," she sighed. She closed the window and removed the USB from her laptop. Only then did it click.

"WE'VE BEEN HAD!" she and Rocky yelled at the same time, bouncing indignantly to their feet on Cece's bed. Their yelling was shortly followed by a piercing shriek.

"_AAIIYEEEEEEE_—_What the heck is THAT_?"

The two girls ran to Cece's living room, where they saw Flynn, with his pet grass snake twined around his arm and a panicked Deuce hiding behind a slightly calmer Ty. Rocky promptly screamed and ran to hide behind Deuce.

"Flynn! What the _heck _do you think you're doing?" Cece screamed.

Flynn stroked the little green snake affectionately. "I was just showing Mr. Wiggles off to Ty and Deuce. No biggie, although I can't figure out why they'd scream like that," he chirped cheerfully. The snake was wrapping its way around Flynn's upper arm.

"_Whatever, _just, _put it back!" _Cece scolded. "It's creeping me out."

Flynn shrugged and let Mr. Wiggles slip gently back into his terrarium. The three terrified teenagers let out an audible sigh when the top snapped shut, and Flynn picked up the large glass case and trotted back into his bedroom.

Cece rolled her eyes. "Come on, Blue, we have a con artist to track down." She took Rocky's wrist and dragged her out the door.

"_WAIT!" _Rocky exclaimed. "We need shoes." She motioned vaguely downward at their bare feet.

Cece looked down in surprise. "…Right."

They made the awkward entrance back into Cece's apartment and grabbed their shoes. The boys were playing a video game that involved shooting and cars and quite a bit of screeching. Neither of the girls was inclined to stick around much longer to watch.

At the steps of their shared apartment complex, the girls paused and sat down on the steps to slip their shoes on.

"So, how're we going to find Hayley?" Rocky asked seriously as she tied the laces of her purple high-tops.

"I don't know! You're the smart one, you think!" Cece cried, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Oh, right." They lapsed into silence as they thought about how to track the white-banged she-devil.

"What if we went back to that place and followed the road she took? Or maybe we could ask her boss for her address, or something," Cece suggested mildly.

"Ooh! Good idea! And then we'll get on my magic unicorn and we'll float all the way to wherever she lives," Rocky answered sarcastically. "But I do agree with the boss part," she conceded after seeing Cece's uncomprehending face.

"Ooh! Yay! Let's go!" Cece jumped off the steps and dragged Rocky by the wrist down a street. Then she stopped. "Uh…do you know how to get back?" she asked Rocky.

"Uh…no?"

Cece groaned. "Then how are we supposed to get to that warehouse again?" she cried exasperatedly.

Rocky rolled her eyes. "Uh, your dance partner's friend led us there, right?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah? So?"

"So _call him, _for Pete's sake!" Rocky cried. "Get the guy's number so you can call _him _so that we have directions to get back to the club-warehouse-thing!"

"R_ii_ght!" Cece nodded. She took out her cellphone from her back pocket and dialed Joseph's number. He picked up on the third ring. "Hey Joseph!"

**…Who is this?**

"It's Cece, your dance partner. We again today and your friend showed us the way to that club, remember?"

**Right. So what do you need?**

"Oh, we just need your friend's number so we can call him."

**Why would you need Jeremy's number?**

"Because Rocky and I have no idea how to get back to that club."

**Why would you go back? The mixers are gone. What's left are the clubbers who go to get drunk and get laid.**

"We need to talk to the boss about something."

**…Well then, I wish you the best of luck. His number's 305-2655.**

"305-2655, gotcha." Cece motioned frantically for Rocky to write it down on something. Rocky dug through her pockets for a scrap of paper but ended up scratching the number into the dirt.

**Is that it, or are you going to ask me out?**

"No, that's it, bye!" Cece chirped cheerily.

**Bye.** Joseph's voice sounded slightly disappointed.

Cece shut the cellphone with a snap. She looked expectantly at Rocky. "What now?"

"Call him!" Rocky half-screeched.

Cece fumbled with the cellphone and got it open again. She tapped in the number that was scratched into the dirt and then quickly obliterated it with her foot as she waited for Jeremy to pick up. Rocky waited patiently. He picked up on the first ring.

**'Lo?** Jeremy asked casually.

"Hey Jeremy, it's Cece," Cece started.

**Who?**

"The redhead in the group of people you led to that club a while back," she clarified through gritted teeth. How could he not remember her dazzling beauty?

**Ohh, right. I remember now. What can I do for you?**

"Well, you see, Rocky and I have a bone to pick with the boss of that place, so we've gotta go back and fix things," Cece stated simply.

**Uhh…the boss is kinda…dangerous. Are you sure you wanna do that?**

"Gah! How bad could he be? It's just a stupid old person running a building! Look, just give us the directions on how to get there and we'll do the rest."

**She's a woman, and probably one of the most devious ones out there. Just…don't try to bet with her. You'll lose. Every. Single. Fricking. Time. As for directions, go back to that coffeeshop where we met and, if your back is to the door, go left and make another left at the second crossroads you get to. Then, take a right after three blocks and go straight. That good?**

"Crystal."

**Alright, I've gotta go pick up Kaetlyn from soccer practice, so I'll talk to you later, 'kay?**

" 'Kay. Bye now!"

**Bye.**

He hung up first and Cece snapped her phone shut with a gleam in her eyes. "I've got you now, Hayley!" she declared triumphantly. Rocky rolled her eyes but allowed Cece to drag her along as her hyperactive friend ran through the streets. She focused more on not tripping and sending the two of them sprawling through mud.

* * *

They stood in front of the dingy warehouse once more. In the half-light of the twilight, the warehouse had a slightly less welcoming feel to it. Not that it had much to begin with. Rocky looked up at the awning, which had been replaced with a brightly lit sign that had a four-leaf clover flashing in green.

"Was that sign there before?" she asked Cece.

"No?" Cece replied, unnerved by the fast transformation that the warehouse had made. She took the step forward and pushed the door open. "After you," she told Rocky, holding the door open. Rocky looked into the half-lit corridor that was more dark than light. She stepped uncertainly in, and Cece followed. Together, they wound their way down the corridor, lights flickering on and off as they went farther down and to the imposing door. The thrumming bass of the music pulsed louder and louder as they neared the door.

Before they could knock, a slit opened in the door, and a paired of sunglasses peeped out at them. "You two again?" the sunglasses asked incredulously. "What're you doing here?" The sunglasses disappeared and the slit shut, only to be opened seconds later by a familiar hooded figure.

"Hey Torrey. We need to talk to the boss of this place," Rocky said, all business.

"Why would you want to talk to my _aunt? _" Torrey crossed his arms.

"Personal business," Cece answered airily. "Can we?"

"…"Torrey turned and began walking down a side corridor that they had not noticed before. The girls exchanged looks and followed along behind Torrey.

He walked until he reached a door with an ornate red dragon painted on it. He rapped once on the door, which opened with a small creak.

"Come in." A woman with long stick-straight red hair motioned for them to come in with one plum-nailed hand, while the other stubbed out the little cigarette she had been holding in a tiny crystal ashtray. Torrey left them there and walked calmly back to his own post. "Say hi to Chris for me, will you?" she called after his retreating back, her bright red lips curling into a smirk.

The two girls crept in to the slightly brighter office. Rocky pushed the door closed with her foot.

"Take a seat, you two," the woman ordered, taking her stiletto-clad feet off of the dark-wooded desk. She leaned forward on her elbows, giving the girls an eyeful of her more-than-ample cleavage. "Now, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Um, well, we were wondering," Rocky stumbled out. The way the woman was dressed was completely immodest. She was wearing a low-cut black dress with a skirt that was entirely too short and too tight. The straps were narrow and the back was low. A white cardigan was flung over the back of her chair. She looked like the business version of Jessica Rabbit.

"We were wondering if you would give us the address of one of your mixers," Cece completed for Rocky.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Which one?"

"Um…the one named Hayley?" Cece clarified.

"Which one?" Four different folders, all with the name "Hayley" written on the tab, laid their contents bared on the polished wood of the desk.

"This one." Rocky tapped a finger on the white-banged picture of Hayley Conrad. The woman swept the other three into her hand and back into the filing cabinet that the two girls hadn't noticed was open. She closed the chosen folder and tapped four plum-colored talons on the front.

"What will you give me for this information?" she asked slyly.

"What do we owe you, Ms…?"

"Just call me Siobahn."

"Okay then, what do we owe you, Siobahn?"

"Well," Siobahn leaned back into her chair, arms crossing underneath her ample bosom. "You two are nice girls, I can see that. You two dance, correct?" The girls nodded. "Well, it just so happens that you can pay me back right now."

* * *

**A/N: Heh. Happy birthday, missy. I've awarded you with a cliffie, even after we stole you away for the day.**


	5. Dance Lessons

**A/N: I don't own _Shake It Up! _All rights belong to the Disney conglomerate. If I owned it, there would be no need to put this story on this website.**

* * *

Rocky and Cece struggled to keep up with Siobhan's long-legged gait. As they followed her down a long twisting passage, they listened to her chatter, which seemed to be entirely for their own benefit, as the folder with Hayley's confidential information was tucked securely between ample breast and left bicep.

"I know that you two dance, correct?" Siobhan glanced back at the two young girls, who nodded hesitantly, not entirely confident that Siobhan wouldn't put them in something that their mothers wouldn't approve of.

"Relax, you two. As much as I like to exploit people, I wouldn't make you do something illegal." Siobhan let out a throaty laugh and flipped her hair. "No, that's for my older customers. You girls are _far _too young."

Rocky and Cece both blanched and silently hoped that they would never need Siobhan's services again. Rocky wondered what Siobhan would have made them do if they were just a few years older.

"Just a couple years ago," Siobhan began as if she had read Rocky's mind, "I met a group of very special people."

"Special people?" Cece scoffed. "Don't treat us like we're five. If they're aliens, then they're aliens."

"Cece, aliens don't exist." Rocky rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you believe in them."

"Of course they exist! How _else _do you think Gunther and Tinka managed to get so weird?"

"Oh, I _don't know, _maybe they were _born that way?" _Rocky retorted semi-sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah," Cece scoffed disbelievingly. "That's what they _all _say."

"Anyway," Siobhan interrupted. "They needed help, so I named a price. Apparently they were desperate enough to actually do it. Well, no. That's not true. One of them, I think, was just crazy. Then there was a big dark one who actually _said _the other one was crazy, plus a few other names I'm not allowed to repeat in front of you kids, and two kids just a couple years older than you."

Rocky and Cece audibly gulped. Cece let out a nervous laugh. "Well, I guess that it's good that we're only thirteen, then, huh?"

"Yes," Siobhan agreed silkily, reaching for a doorknob that glinted in the lowlight of the hallway. "Yes, you're very lucky. You get to work with these people." She opened a door with a simple plaque that read _Dancing 101—for dummies, that is_. "You're going to teach these people hip-hop, since I'm assuming that's what you normally do."

Rocky and Cece looked inside the brightly lit studio. There seemed to be a variety of ages, from little children to elderly grandmothers. They looked at each other. Rocky shrugged. "Nothing to lose, right? It's just dancing." She nudged Cece in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"Ah, yeah. Sure." Cece absently rubbed the spot where Rocky's elbow had jabbed.

"Okay!" Siobhan brightly clapped her hands and marched in, her pumps punching shallow dents into the wooden floor of the studio. Rocky and Cece rushed to follow. "People, these are your teachers for the day! The normal instructor is still out with some mysterious ailment that, quite frankly, I have no interest in."

One of the grandmothers squinted at the girls who stood uncertainly beside Siobhan. "Look at the way you're dressed!" she scolded, a pruned finger wiggling shakily at them. "All ripped clothing and studded denim! Where are your good, wholesome skirts and modestly-colored tops?"

Rocky forced a little smile. "Um, ma'am, we live in the twenty-first century, not the fifties," she said, her head giving an indignant little jerk. "Plus, it would be difficult to dance hip-hop in a _poodle skirt_."

A wrinkled old man raised his head. "Eh? Did she say 'hip-pop'? I hope we're not doing that. I just got my hip replaced." He blinked nearsightedly at the young woman standing next to him. She sighed.

"No, Granddad, we're doing hip-hop," she said loudly.

"Well in that case, take me home! I didn't come here for some new-fangled bone-breaking dance!" He started to hobble his way towards a door on the side opposite the mirrors Siobhan, Rocky, and Cece were standing in front of.

"That's what you said _last _week when they were teaching the Viennese Waltz, Granddad," the young woman said exasperatedly. She followed him out anyway with an apologetic glance at the other dancers.

Siobhan chuckled. She handed the folder to Cece, her talons glinting underneath the bright light of the studio. "Well girls, you have your hands full, and I'm afraid I have other business to attend to. Ta-ta, now!" With barely a wiggle from her fingers, she slinked away and the door swung shut behind her.

Cece and Rocky stared helplessly after her. Then, Cece dropped and slipped the folder to a place against the wall and rubbed her hands together. She turned towards the crowd of inexperienced dancers.

"Okay, the people below the age of twelve and over the age of sixty make a couple lines with eight people each in row. Make sure you have a lot of room. Do the airplane-thing, if you have to. You know that—" Cece spun around with her arms outstretched.

The mentioned people shuffled uncertainly into the rows.

"What about the rest of us?" a boy called out from the back.

"Just spread yourselves out into the remaining space, I guess. Eight to a row."

When the remaining people finished spreading out, Cece huffed and put her hands on her hips. "I think I did a pretty good job," she commented to Rocky.

"Yeah. Okay. My turn!" Rocky declared. She started the music—synth-pop beat thrummed—and turned to face the mirrors. "Ready? I'm going to start off with a simple step to an eight-count and then Cece will follow after sixteen. After another sixteen beats, you'll join. Try to copy what I'm doing."

Rocky stepped from side to side to the beat, as if she were skating in place. Cece followed soon after, rocking out to the singer's high-pitched whine just a little more. Then, in almost a wave motion, the people behind followed. The song switched to something more recent. The throbbing bass at the beginning quickly soared into an electric dance beat. Rocky eased into a more complex pattern that was jerkier than the simple side-to-side step. Cece deviated into something more liquid.

"Okay!" Rocky called over the music, careful to stay on the beat. "If you don't feel comfortable with my pattern, copy Cece's!"

Rocky and Cece continued to gradually complicate their dance patterns, working together to create an intense routine that the students could barely keep up with, though they did their best.

When the song ended, Rocky switched of the music and the people gasped in surprise and relief. The children in the front slumped, as did the elderly.

"If you need to take a water break, you've got five minutes," Cece announced. "Then we'll break the dance down and maybe change a little of it."

* * *

The hip hop lesson could have been described as horrific but the most fun that the girls had had in a while. The children were quite whiney and the elderly were sometimes quite unpleasant, but the rest of the group had been relatively amicable.

"You know," Cece later panted at the end of their class, slumped over her knees, "you people are the first time we've ever taught anyone anything."

"Well you did better than the last two." That was the first time the grandmother had come even close to complimenting them. "Disregarding your clothing, you're fairly respectable girls."

"What did the last instructors do?" Rocky asked, now curious.

"What did they do? Ha! It's more of what they _didn't _do." The grandmother glowered at the floor. "Modified Viennese waltz my—"

"Grandma!" The boy from the back looked mortified. "There are _children _here!"

"Aw shut up, boy," she groused. "It's not like the children in this class didn't _see _it."

"Eh…You're right." The boy shuddered. "My eyes still burn."

Cece looked at the time on her cell phone.

"Oh shoot! Rocky! We have to _go!" _She tugged urgently on Rocky's hand.

"What—why?" Rocky asked.

"It's 6:50!"

Rocky's eyes widened. "Shoot."

"Yeah. Exactly. Dinner's in 10 minutes."

"Oh no! We've gotta run!" She stood up and turned so that she was facing most of the class, who were currently chatting and sipping water. "Okay, guys! Today was great, sorry we can't stay long, we're late for some family business, we'll never see each other again, so, uh, bye!"

Cece grabbed the folder from its almost-forgotten position by the wall.

Rocky grabbed Cece's hand and they ran to the door that the old man and his granddaughter had disappeared through an hour earlier, trying not to run into people. She yanked the door open in an overly exaggerated manner and the two girls tumbled through out onto an unfamiliar Chicago street.

They whirled around, looking for a familiar landmark.

"Huh. _Janet's Dance 101 Studio. _I thought her name was Siobhan," Cece remarked, tucking the folder underneath her arm in a very Siobhan-like gesture.

"Maybe that's her middle name," Rocky mumbled, peering into the half-light of the street. "Oh look! I see the Millennium Park from here!" She grabbed Cece's hand and ran.

"Wait! Rocky! What do you mean by you see the Millennium Park?" Cece cried.

"Just follow me!"

The two girls ran. Apparently Rocky was right, as they were back in front of their shared apartment building at 6:58. They panted for a moment and then rushed up the stairs to Cece's apartment.

Cece yanked the door open, only to be greeted by Deuce and Ty tussling rather magnificently, Finn egging the two boys on, and Henry nervously wringing his hands beside him.

"Come on Deuce!" Finn roared. "You fight like a girl!"

"Yeah," Ty agreed, planting a firm hand on Deuce's head, effectively shutting down Deuce's efforts to claw Ty to ribbons. "You fight like a girl."

"Guys?" Cece asked. "Where's mom?"

"Oh. Mom said she was going to be late home today," Finn said dismissively.

"And you didn't tell me?" Cece asked, annoyed.

"Nope. I want bacon. Make me bacon for dinner, sis," Finn demanded.

"Rocky?" Cece looked at Rocky, who sighed.

"Well, Ty's already here, so Mom can't possibly be expecting us for dinner."

"Fine. We'll make you bacon," Cece told Finn, who cheered. "Gee, if I knew you were going to be this easy to please, I would've just made you bacon more often," she muttered. She threw the folder onto the coffee table.

"What? No! Ty has Deuce in a half-Nelson!" Finn cheered. Henry hid his face.

"Why, oh why am I friends with him?" he moaned behind his hands.

"Because I'm the only one who bothers to talk to you?" Finn suggested.

Cece rolled her eyes and moved to the kitchen. She took the prepackaged meat from the refrigerator and heated up the stove.

As the smell of bacon permeated the room, Deuce tapped out of his and Ty's wrestling match and Rocky claimed the couch for herself. She took her phone out and started a game of WordSearch. Seeing as his world had calmed itself down again, Henry came out of hiding and claimed the rocking chair.

"So," Ty said, sitting on one of the barstools. Deuce sat on the other. "Where exactly did you girls go?"

"To find Hayley's boss."

"Why? I thought you were done with that place."

"Yeah, but then we found out that Hayley conned us." Rocky leaned on her elbows on the couch and smirked at Deuce. "It was a slicker con than you could've pulled off, Deuce."

"Hey!" he started indignantly. Then at Ty's unbelieving face, he muttered sulkily, "I try."

"So anyway, now we've got to track her down. That's her contact information." Rocky pointed at the folder lying innocently on the coffee table.

"Mm. So you're going out and about Chicago again tomorrow?" Deuce asked. "For a pair of girls who've never been any farther away from home than to the mall, that's a pretty risky thing you're doing."

"Relax Deuce," Cece told him, sliding a plate of bacon towards Finn. "We'll print directions off of the computer so we'll know where we're going."

"Plus," added Rocky, "you guys will be coming with us."

"YES! Home alone!" Finn cheered.

"…Right. In that case, we'll have to have Ty stay home," Rocky amended.

"What?" Ty yelled. "No way! Just call that girl from school. You know, the one that was desperate for babysitting jobs. What was her name?"

"Uh…Marissa?"

"Yeah. That girl. You can get her to babysit Finn, and then we can go track down that Hayley girl. This way, everyone wins."

"Hmm. You have a point." Cece nodded. "Not a bad idea. We'll do it."

"Sweet," Ty said. He grinned and spread his arms out on the counter, leaning backwards in a self-satisfied way. "Ty's plans _never _fall through."

Cece rolled her eyes and tugged Rocky off the couch. "Come on, Rocky. We've got research to do." She grabbed the folder and the girls disappeared into Cece's room. A moment later, Cece's ginger-haired head popped out. "Oh, and Deuce?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you wash the dishes for me? Thanks!" Cece smiled sweetly at the confounded boy and disappeared again.

Ty snickered. "Ha ha, you're the domestic one!"

Henry, who had been forgotten, shook his head despairingly. "Why are your friends so weird?" he asked Finn, who was busy licking the plate clean.

"No idea."

Henry laid his head down and sighed.

* * *

**Songs referenced: **

**Evacuate the Dance Floor—CASCADA**

**E.T.—Katy Perry**

**I don't know why I all of a sudden decided to reference songs. Normally, I just create musical messes in my head and go with those. I had E.T. stuck in my head for months. The song is pure sex, I'm serious. On the other hand, another chapter, but all I could think of, and I think it's a bit weak to be honest. You see, I'm a bit low on inspiration at the moment. On a home note, I found out that when it comes to finding terrible use of language, I don't know what I'm doing. Terrible practice SAT scores in writing. Feedback? **


	6. Musical Preferences

By noon the next day, Ty, Rocky, Cece, and Deuce had gathered outside their apartment building. Flynn was inside with Henry and Marissa, who had accepted the job eagerly when Cece called her in the morning. She had arrived, dressed in a skirt that made the boys whistle in appreciation, and had proceeded to make herself well known to Flynn.

When Flynn had settled down with his video games, the group of teens left and started their mission to claim the music they had been cheated.

"So!" Cece proudly held up a map. "Where do we have to go?" Her eyes sparkled in anticipation.

"Um, first of all, the map is upside down," Rocky chided, turning the map right side up. "Secondly, we don't need the map, since we have the directions right here." She brandished the instructions, which had been folded into quarters.

Cece crumpled the map and threw it over her shoulder. "Okay, then!" she said. "We'll just follow you."

With a roll of her eyes, Rocky started walking towards the bus station. The other three kids hurried along behind her.

"Wait, why are we taking a bus?" Deuce asked.

"Because unless you want to walk four _miles _to this girl's house…apartment-complex…thing…we're taking a bus to the nearest stop and _then _walking," Rocky explained.

"Um…that wasn't a complete sentence," Ty pointed out.

"Yes, it was!" Rocky argued.

"No, it wasn't!"

"Yes, it was!"

"No, it wasn't!"

"Yes, it was!"

"The bus is here," Deuce interrupted. Rocky and Ty continued to bicker on the bus, only stopping when they reached their stop. There was an audible sigh as the four teens stepped off. Apparently the other riders were too polite to ask them to shut up.

As the bus pulled away, Rocky looked around the unfamiliar buildings and huffed. "Where _are _we?" she asked.

"I don't know. We were following you!" Cece said. "We're not lost, are we?"

"No, no, of course not! It's just—I mean—It's not exactly a familiar place—here—I mean—not like the mall," Rocky bluffed.

"We're _loooooooost!" _Deuce bawled suddenly, clutching his face in his hands.

Overhead, a window banged open, and a messy white-streaked brunette head poked out with an annoyed scowl on her face. "Oi! You brats better shut up, or I'll come down there and—oh, damn!" In sudden realization, Hayley pulled back and the window slammed shut once more.

"Well," Ty remarked. "That was easy."

"I know, right?" Cece was in one of her bubblier moods again. "And all it took was for Deuce to cry like a little girl!" She patted Deuce rather forcefully on the back.

Rocky rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you, _Deuce._ Come on. We need to get that music!" She took off and was halfway to the apartment complex before the other three had even realized that Rocky was gone.

"He-Hey! Wait up!" Cece ran after her, followed by Deuce and Ty. Together, all four ran up to the concierge desk, where a thin, rakish man in a tatty suit sat, cleaning out the dirt from underneath his fingernails with a letter opener. His name tag said "Frank" and he smelled like old cigarettes with a hint of scotch.

Rocky cleared her throat, smoothed down her shirt (which was a ruffle-filled, flower-patterned baby-doll that she absolutely _adored_), and waited expectantly for the doorman to realize that she was standing right in front of him.

After a few minutes she cleared her throat again, a little louder, and adjusted the jangling bracelets on her wrist. Still, the doorman paid more attention to cleaning out his nails than to Rocky.

"How can his _nails _be more interesting than four sweet children such as us?" Cece wondered without whispering. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and it caught Deuce in the face.

Deuce made a discontented noise and spit her hair out of his mouth. "Because some people don't seem to realize that there are others standing behind them and they flip their hair every which way and…that doesn't work does it?" he asked, slightly deflated from his lack of pithy insults.

"Nope," Ty answered blithely. "Not at all. Rocky! Instead of clearing your throat every five seconds and then adjusting every bit of stupid clothing you have on that body, just ringing the freakin' bell!" he snapped.

"Uch, fine!" Rocky rolled her eyes again and tapped the little silver bell on the concierge desk. As if the bell had cast a magic spell on the concierge with its tiny silver voice, he looked up expectantly with droopy, blood-shot eyes and put the letter opener on the desk in front of him.

"How can I help you?" he asked with a rather nasal voice. He created a steeple with his bony fingers and leaned forward.

"Um, we here to see Hayley Conrad," Rocky said.

"Okay." He leaned back and tapped a few keys into his computer. "She's up in apartment 716, seven floors up. Would you like me to inform her of your arrival, or does she expect you?" He returned back to his forward position.

"Oh, um, that's okay," Rocky said brightly. "She kind of already knows that we're already here, so we'll just…go right up to her. Thank you, though!"

Watched by the slightly amused and bleary eyed door man, Rocky flounced away, jean jacket flapping, followed by Cece, Ty and Deuce. They all piled into the elevator and Ty pushed the button labeled seven.

The door was just beginning to close before a rushed pattering of feet and a breathless "Hold the door please!" caused Ty to stick a hand in between the closing doors and force the elevator to open once more.

"Thank you," the same (and very familiar) breathless voice gasped as a boy with reddish hair stumbled into the elevator. "Seven please."

"That's where we're headed already," Deuce informed him.

"Oh really?" The boy stood up, and for the first time, Cece could see his face. "We just seem to keep running into each other, don't we?" he asked with a wide grin on his freckly face.

"Joseph!" she squealed. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I'm going to see a friend about a school project. She lives on the seventh floor, and I'm kinda late. You?"

"I'm—I mean, _we," _she corrected at Rocky's objection, "need to get something from a friend. She lives on the seventh floor, too. How crazy is that?"

"Really crazy," he laughed.

"Hey man," Deuce interrupted. "I like your eyebrows." He pointed at his as an example.

"Uh, thanks? I like yours, too."

Deuce blushed at the compliment. "Thanks. It's all Rocky's work, though." Rocky nodded smugly.

"He used to have one eyebrow before I started waxing them."

"Uh…okay, then."

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened. They all stepped out and were replaced by a doddering old woman, who waved cheerfully at them as the doors closed. Uncertainly, they waved back.

"So, I guess this is where we part, huh?" Cece said rather regretfully.

"Well, I'm going to 716," Joseph admitted.

"Really? Me too!"

"You're going to see Hayley?" Rocky interrupted before they could get any farther.

"Yeah, we've got this huge Greek mythology project that we've gotta do," he explained.

"It's fine; we can all go together!" Cece said cheerfully. Ty shrugged and followed the two redheads, followed by Rocky and Deuce.

The five teens made their way down the poorly lit hallway and stopped at the door labeled with a brass 716. Joseph knocked and called out, "Hayley, hopefully you're dressed, 'cause I'm coming in whether you like it or not."

"Whatever, Joe," Hayley's muffled voice called.

Joseph opened the door to Hayley's apartment. Inside was a cluttered mess of wires and recording equipment. Empty mugs, books and papers were littered around on random surfaces and another pot of coffee was brewing from the smell of things. Somewhere, a laptop was on and it was quietly playing 'Two Birds' by Regina Spektor.

"So. Your parents are on what kind of vacation now?" Joseph rolled his eyes at the mess and began picking his way over the stuff.

"Honeymoon." Hayley poured herself another cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot. "Find a seat. We'll start on Dionysus in a moment. What can I do for you guys?" She took a sip from her mug. Her black-lined eyes appraised the four teens still standing awkwardly at the door. "Close the door, will you? I don't want Mrs. Abernathy to see the mess I've made. She already thinks I'm enough of a mess." Rocky did as she asked and then they began to wend their way through the deer trails that Hayley had created.

Hayley nonchalantly sipped her coffee and waited until the Ty, Deuce, Cece and Rocky were all sitting, albeit a bit awkwardly on something. She looked much neater than when she had been yelling out of the window, which her hair tied back into a ponytail and her pajamas exchanged for a purple zombie panda shirt and grey skinny jeans.

Cece pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You sold us a bum disk!"

"No, I didn't. I don't cheat my customers," she calmly argued.

"Then how come we can't see the music files on the USB?" Rocky shot back.

"Well, what sort of music program do you have? Windows Media Player? QuickPlay? ITunes? MP3?"

"I dunno. Windows Media Player, I guess," Cece mumbled half to herself. Hayley sighed.

"Fine. Since you don't know for sure, I'll just—does anyone have, like, an iPod on them, or something?" she asked.

"I have an iPhone," Ty offered.

"Good. Give it to me." Hayley held out her hand expectantly.

"What? No way! Who _knows _what sort of crap you're going to put on there!" Ty cradled his iPhone protectively in his hand.

"Dude, just give it to her." Joseph looked up from his volume of _Trigun. _"She's not going to poison it."

"_Thank you, _Joseph," Hayley said empathetically. "Now give it." Ty reluctantly put his precious iPhone into Hayley's waiting hand.

"Don't touch my Lady Gaga," he said sulkily. Hayley snorted.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't touch that stuff with a ten-foot broomstick." She plugged the iPhone into her laptop and began to click and clack on the keyboard. The track playing changed to 'Dance Anthem of the 80's'.

"Ha!" Deuce couldn't resist a barb. "Who's the chick now, _hombre?" _He danced around in glee.

"You still are," Joseph retorted for Ty. He turned a page in his volume of _Trigun. _Deuce sat back down to sulk.

"_Why _does everybody say that?" he grumbled to himself. "Give me _one _really good reason."

Cece winced. "You mean one _particular _reason above the rest?"

"You mean there's more?" Deuce groaned. He curled up on the sofa and cried.

"I'm done!" Hayley announced. "Catch." She threw the iPhone at Rocky, who caught it and began scrolling through her brother's music.

"'I just had Sex' by Akon ft. The Lonely Island?" she asked Ty bemusedly.

"What?" Ty looked around defensively. "It's good."

"You have no taste." Rocky shook her head.

"Right. Like the mainstream pop you listen to is any better."

"Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber _are _way better!"

"No they're not," Hayley and Joseph chorused.

"Dude, Breaking Benjamin and AC/DC all the _way!" _Joseph argued.

"No! LIGHTS and Imogen Heap are total knock-outs!" Hayley parried.

"Are you done arguing over music preferences? 'Cause we can't find our music," Rocky interrupted.

"You started it," Ty, Joseph and Hayley shot back.

"It's under my name," Hayley added.

"Oh. Here it is!" Rocky put an ear bud in her ear. "Ohh, it's even better than I remember it," she sighed contentedly.

"Ooh! Ooh! Let me see!" Cece snatched Ty's iPhone from Rocky and switched to her track. "Ohh, you're right," she sighed.

Hayley smiled a bit ironically at them. "Okay. When you have to play that track, just tell the sound guys to plug the iPhone in. That's all."

"Oh. Okay, cool."

Hayley waited expectantly. The track switched to 'Man of A Thousand Faces'.

"Uh…are you waiting for a cup of coffee, or something? You can leave now. Joseph and I sort of have a school project to work on."

"Huh—oh yeah! Thanks!" Cece and Rocky hopped up and ripped the ear buds from their ears. Rocky gave the iPhone back to Ty. "Keep it safe," Rocky warned.

"No problem, ma'am!" Ty gave his little sister a mock salute.

Deuce stood up and dusted himself off. "Let's go then."

"Yeah." The four teens picked their way back to the door.

On their way down, Ty turned to Deuce. "So, what music _do _you listen to?" he asked.

"Uh…stuff. Y'know. Like Katy Perry. And…Gloria Estefan."

"Who?"

"Sexy seventies Latina singer."

"Ah. Somehow I knew you'd say that."

Rocky looked sympathetically over at the two boys. "Somehow, I worry for you guys, a lot. You're like Gunther in a lot of ways."

"_What?" _Ty and Deuce looked at Rocky in disbelief. She just laughed at them. Cece snickered.

"You know, I can sort of see it. They're both pretty flamboyant in their own ways. No wonder they hate Gunther. Some people just don't get along with people who are just like them. Oh, and Rocky? You owe me a quarter." Cece grinned wickedly. "Vocab word!"

Rocky sighed and rooted around her purse for a quarter. "We're still doing this?"

Deuce wanted to curl up in a shadowy corner and die.

"You know, I could say the same about you two girls and Tinka," Ty commented.

"Yeah, but we're _so _much better at it," Cece said, flipping her hair. The elevator door dinged and opened and the teens made their way out onto the street, with the reedy call of the concierge man, Frank following them.

"Goodbye! Have a nice day!" he called.

Walking down the street, Rocky checked her watch. "Well, that certainly didn't take very long. It's only three-thirty."

"It'll be four-thirty by the time we get back home, so we might as well get something to eat when we get there," Ty supplied.

"That's a good idea!" Cece agreed. "I'm hungry."

* * *

**A/N: Huh. Looks like I'm almost done. There're probably two chapters left. One for the rest of the day, one for the day of the show. Honestly, I had quite a bit of fun writing this. I'm glad I held on, even though my interest towards modern Disney has shriveled and has been shriveled for quite a while now. Um, I realize I should update more often, but I'm really bad about getting stuff done. I mean, it's August and I still haven't finished my summer homework...**


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